Floating on a dream

On board a boat on a canal near London, Sumitra Senapaty watches the world go by in slow motion

After a little while, one adjusts to the gentle pace and begins to appreciate the landscape and the 200-year-old waterway architecture floating past the boat

On a boat in canal in London, time in its usual sense ceases to be relevant; it’s either time to start the boat, moor your boat and wander in the nearest pub. You cruise past towns and villages, chugging calmly through water meadows with cows and sheep as the only observers. The world floats by if you please at the ‘breakneck’ speed of barely 4 miles an hour, barely walking pace!

It is one of those moments that only happen once and make you think… “Oh wow!” At 10 in the morning on a bright sunny day, gliding along a canal on a boat, through London’s Little Venice, amid incredibly beautiful scenery with picturesque houses and buildings, houseboats and the lovely Regent’s Canal. It is definitely a “wow” moment. To live this real experience one must stay long enough to travel on the narrow boats of England, rather than merely visit the Queen’s land. 

With a speed limit of just ‘4 miles per hour’, the boats move at the same pace they did when canal horses pulled the cargoes of the industrial revolution through the countryside. Two centuries later, the locks, the tunnels and the aquaducts are still there, in fully functioning order. Inside, the boat interiors boast of fully fitted kitchens, flush toilets, showers, double beds, and the works.

One can moor the boat and step off to visit many places near the canal like stately homes, small villages, pubs, shops and much more

And interestingly, no previous experience is needed to go on these boat journeys. For first timers especially, an engineer comes on board to talk about the technical stuff. Starting the engine, steering, mooring, daily water tank filling, working the locks and so on, are all covered, and he even comes along for the first few minutes of the journey to bolster one’s confidence. After that you are on your own…well, not exactly. Because your fellow riders boating on the canal want to help — especially if you tell them you are a first timer.

Navigating the boat is pretty simple. One can pick up the basics in a matter of minutes and get to know the ropes so well that one could even embark on the entire canal network sans a skipper. The canal cruise is such an experience that one can’t even pretend to be objective about it, especially if it is your first boating trip. It is like a civilised adventure with all the frills thrown in, and you realise that one doesn’t have to rough it out. A narrow boat carries the comforts of home on board and is just the holiday to put the wind back in your sails.  

You cannot help but go slowly on the canal network. After an hour or so you adjust to this gentle pace and begin to appreciate the lush green landscapes and the 200-year old waterway architecture. After a couple of days, you lose all sense of time — what day of the week it is and how many locks you have just gone through. By the end of the holiday you feel totally relaxed and dread returning to the motorway. It does sound rather strange but it is true! 

To catch a little of the mood, a good way to see the canal, and the best way to arrive at the London Zoo, is to glimpse a little of Camden and then catch a boat from Camden Lock. Camden is picturesque with its rows of cottage-size houses, filled with books, antiques and word processors. The Victorian warehouses and stables have been converted into trendy restaurants, bric-a-brac shops and studios. The lively weekend market has stalls piled high with second hand clothes, books and light-hearted antiques, all in a friendly atmosphere. 

The canal is a great place to watch wildlife, fish and jog, sunbathe or just watch the world go by. Then there are all the places near the canal to visit…theme parks, stately homes, markets, to name a few, plus the many villages, towns, pubs and shops based on the canal: there’s so much to do and explore. You can moor and step off to shop, take a walk around London, and at different points, visit Hampton Court and Windsor Castle. This holiday is all about being away from the pressures of normal life. No homework, no social engagements, precious few rules and therefore, precious few battles. 

After browsing around ashore, you can come right back to the boat to cook dinner and sleep, thus saving the considerable expense of spending a night in a hotel room in London city or eating at a restaurant. Mind you, this is not a vacation for those with a checklist of cities and sights to see. In two-and-a-half days, at the stipulated speed, one can cover just 30-odd watery miles, mooring frequently outside villages, gardens and sampling nightlife. 

Once licked into some kind of nautical shape, it is pure exhilaration. Somewhere along the canal, had your picture taken from a corner of the boat, and there you are, looking to the entire world like a real crewmember, laughing with the sun in your face and the calm canal waters at your back. Now, that’s what one call a real holiday souvenir.

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